FIG. 1A is an exterior view of a prior art base 1 for a candelabra light fixture. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the base 1 of FIG. 1A along arrows 1B. FIG. 2A is an exterior view of a prior art lamp shade 10 that can be used with the candelabra light fixture of FIG. 1A. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the shade 10 of FIG. 2B along arrows 2B.
Referring to FIGS. 1A-2B, a lamp shade 10 having an outwardly flaring out glass 12 with narrow neck 14 are often attached to a candelabra type base 1 by orienting the neck portion 14 over exterior threaded sides 4 of the electrical sockets 6. Next, a nut 20 is positioned into the wide opening of the shade 12 above a step edge 16. Threading the nut 20 onto the outer threads 4 of the socket 6 results in pushing the nut 20 against the step edge 16 in side of the shade 10, while a surface portion of the outer glass 12 abuts against an upper edge 3 of the base 1. However, these types of popular attachment techniques have several problems.
One problem is the narrow part of the inside of the lamp shade near the narrow neck space makes it difficult to reach with one's fingers. Holding a nut can be difficult in this narrow space, especially when an installer is reaching upward to remove or install shades onto light socket that are above their heads.
The use of a spanner wrench or spanner tool has been used for tightening these hard to reach nuts. However, the spanner wrench adds an additional cost and expense to the installation.
Other types of fastening techniques have uses thumb screws that pass through the outer surfaces 2 of the base 1, which are then tightened to abut against surface portions on the outside of the shade neck 14. However, these small screws are also hard to manipulate with one's fingers. Additionally, the screws can easily become dropped and lost during installation. Still furthermore, with candelabras type lights mounted to ceiling fans, vibrations have caused these small screws to become loose and fall out. A falling glass shade can be easily broken and also be a danger to persons underneath the light fixture.
Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art.